I traveled to Seoul in the first half of the week. Since joining this company I have been there for around 20 times. However, the places I am most familiar is only the Incheon airport, COEX Mall, Grand InterCon, and the area near our Gangnam office. Fortunately, my colleagues did bring me out to some good restaurants for lunch and dinner everytime. What I want to share this round is a hot pot style dish, with a mix of pig organs (sorry for poor vocabulary...) and a tempura style dish with different vegetables and fish cake. A bit spicy, four of us finished the whole pot plus some udon, along with about 10 bottles of soju and beer. It didn't stop us from a second round in which we went to a nearby pub for another few jars of beer. Not drunk at all (unlike one of my Korean colleagues) I walked myself back to the hotel, but got a bit of stomach ache afterwards, probably drinking too much of those spicy soup...
This time I also needed to go to the countryside (Suwon and Dukpyeong) to see some warehouses. During lunch we went to a traditional Korean restaurant, common in those rural areas. Many HK people may not be used to having a meal sitting on the floor with a low table, but that is common in Korea and by now I am quite used to that. Food there was quite nice, nothing fancy, but I enjoy this kind of places than to go to famous and expensive Korean restaurants. 
Still I did not always go out with the local team as some colleagues may think so, and I also enjoy some quiet times by myself. On one night I had dinner in COEX Mall, going to a Andong style Braised Chicken restaurant. That restaurant was quite popular and renown for their Ginseng Chicken Soup. I ordered a small Andong chicken (but still half a chicken!). Tasty and spicy, the more I ate the hotter it became. At the end I was sweating profusely. Interestingly, the owner is a Chinese woman coming from Shandong area so she talked to me in Mandarin and we chatted a bit (when I went it was still early so not that many customers). Will go back again to try their ginseng chicken soup...
Back in HK then. To prepare for my fortified wine exam coming up in Nov, I have been buying a lot for tasting. This week I bought 10 bottles including a 5-year Malmsey Madeira, a Cream Sherry, a 20-year Tawny Port, an Australian Aged Fortified Red, an Amontillado, a Manzanilla, a Oloroso, an Australian Fortified Muscat, a Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise and a Banyuls VDN. With the previous purchases I think I got all the necessary styles for my study, but it is really a tough job to finish all those 18 bottles in these two months... So now I have organized a Port tasting in Sep and see how many of my friends can join. I also promised myself this: when I pass this paper I am going to buy a Quinta do Noval Nacional to celebrate... During the week I did not drink too many bottles. Just finished one Albert Bichot Santenay Les Charmes on Thu, in Hot'in a Pot, my favourite restaurant, near my home. The wine is quite a good match with the hot pot and the 'Cheung Hung' we ordered, in sashimi and with the bones deep fried with garlic. So good that I finished the whole bottle by myself. Upon returning home I just slept in the sofa for sometime... Really a bit drunk...
Friday night we went to Grissini in Grand Hyatt, a good Italian restaurant. The wine list is quite impressive, with some good ones like Biondi Santi (I just wonder when I will drink mine at home...). Surprisingly the price was not too steep, but since I was driving just had a small glass of white from Sicily. They also got a wide selection of Grappa. Wonderful environment and fantastic service, Ivy and me had a Parma Ham with Melon, and a Burrata cheese with dried tomato as appetitizer, a Red Prawn Risotto and a Sea Bass with Tomato for main course, followed by a Strawberry Parfait and a Poached Peach as dessert. The cheese was not commonly available in HK, soft and milky in taste, with interesting texture and good for someone who don't like strong smell ones. The other dishes were all delicate and meticulously prepared. A bit on the high side at HK$1830 for two person, but still a restaurant I would recommend.
Yesterday we celebrated my father's birthday and had dinner at China Club in Central, a private club which got an interesting and fun atmosphere. The food is mainly Cantonese, and the quality is really excellent. Ivy got some photos of the decor in our room and you can check it out on fb. We ordered the popular dishes like Sweet and Sour Pork, Minced Quail in Lettuce Wrap etc. and had enjoyed very much. Considering we got a private room and everybody full to the neck, a price of HK$2500 for 6 people is quite reasonable.
Really written a long one this week, and weather at night is starting to get a bit cooler, just as what Mid-Autumn should be... Until then, take care my friends and wish you all a good weekend!
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